Shopping For The Right Hunter Commercial Controller

Dwayne Smith, your Sprinkler Warehouse Pro in this video covers some of the features of Hunter’s 2-Wire Decoder series of commercial controllers, to help you choose which model works best for your situation. Available from SprinklerWarehouse.com.

Click Here To Browse Hunter Commercial 2 Wire Decoder Controllers

Hunter makes several series of commercial controllers.  Today we’re going to cover some of the features to help you choose which controller works for your situation. I’m Dwayne Smith, your Sprinkler Warehouse Product Specialist. Let’s get started.

Capable Of Controlling More Zones Than Residential Controllers

The controllers that we’ll talk about today are all either modular controllers or 2 wire decoders, and some have both options.

Modular controllers expand the number of zones they can operate by adding modules.  There is an upper limit to the number of modules that can be added depending on which controller you’re working with.  Now whereas modular controllers send a separate hot wire out to each valve in the system, 2 wire decoder controllers only use two wires that daisy chain to each of the valves, or more specifically to the decoder that’s connected to the valve.  Decoders have to be purchased for each valve location.  Depending on the type of decoder, it might operate 1 or several valves. 

While decoders are not cheap, the savings in wire and installation can be significant.  They can be easier to troubleshoot and easier to add additional zones. If you’re installing a system that covers a lot of ground consider a two-wire decoder type controller. There is an upper limit on the number of valves that can be operated with the decoder controllers as well.  So make sure you purchase a system that will accept more stations than you think you need.

Should You Use A Flow Meter Or A Flow Sensor?

Another consideration is whether you want to use a flow meter, also called a flow sensor. Flow meters monitor your water usage and alert the system if there’s an issue.  Flow meters can potentially save you serious money by alerting you to a leak or a faulty valve.

All of the controllers we’ll be talking about today are compatible with Roam and Roam XL remotes.  On to the controllers.

HCC Smart Controllers React To Weather Conditions

The HCC controller is a smart controller that uses Hydrowise software.

Hydrawise allows you to manage your irrigation system.  It’s designed to give you complete control and save water.  It includes the ability to use your smartphone, tablet, or the web to manage your system from anywhere. It adjusts your system based on local weather conditions and gives many monitoring options to protect your landscape and alert you quickly of any issues.

The HCC controller is wifi enabled and touch screen operated.  It is also compatible with the HC flow meter.  The HCC controllers are available in plastic, metal, and stainless cabinets. Pedestal kits are available for these controllers.

HCCs are modular controllers. The base model has 8 stations and can be expanded to up to 54 stations. 

Modules are available in:

• 4 station ICM-400
• 8 station ICM-800
• 22 station ICM-2200

They have the sensor inputs available.

Now the rest of the controllers do not have Hydrawise technology. 

Commercial Irrigation Controllers With Solar Sync

But they are, however, compatible with Solar Sync. Solar sync is a mini weather station that monitors rain, temperature, and sunlight to adjust watering accordingly.  It can save a substantial amount of water by shutting off when it’s raining, but also decreasing watering times when there’s less sunlight and lower temperatures. 

The ICC2 series are commercial grade, modular controllers that have 8 stations and can be expanded to 54 stations.  Expansion modules are the ICM-400 which adds 4 stations, the ICM-800 which adds 8 stations, and the  ICM-2200 which adds 22 stations. The ICC series are outdoor models and they come in a choice of plastic, metal, or stainless steel models and have matching pedestals available. The ICC2s have one sensor input and are not compatible with flow sensors.  The ICC2 controllers can be upgraded with a WIFI kit to function with Centralus.  

Centralus Commercial Irrigation Controllers Works With Solar Sync And Adjusts To Weather Forecasts

Centralus is a cloud-based web application that allows user control and status updates from the web.  You can also receive notifications and even text messages from the system.  It works with both Solar Sync and online weather forecasts to adjust watering based on weather conditions.

The I-Core series are modular controllers that have 6 stations and can be expanded up to 42 stations with modules or up to 48 stations utilizing decoders. The expansion module for the I-Core series is the ICM-600 which adds 6 stations.  The I-Core controllers have either plastic, metal, or stainless cabinets. The plastic cabinet is smaller and only allows expansion up to 30 stations. But adding the Plastic pedestal to the Plastic cabinet allows it to be expanded to 42 stations. The decoder system for the I-Core series is called Dual. 

I-Core Controllers For Commercial Sprinkler Systems

The dual system allows the I-core controller to have up to 48 stations. The I-Core controllers are compatible with certain flow meters and have 2 sensor inputs in the plastic cabinet model or 3 sensor inputs in the metal or pedestal models.

ACC Modular Controllers With Up To 99 Stations

The ACC series of controllers are modular controllers that have a base model of 6 stations and can be expanded up to 42 stations with modules. The A2M-600 expansion module adds 6 stations to the ACC controllers.

The ACC-99D controller is the related model that has all the functions of the ACC model and also has decoder functions as well.  It operates up to 99 stations with the use of decoders.

And there’s the ACC2 series. There’s a 12 station base model that can be expanded up to 54 stations with the use of A2M-600 modules which add 6 stations with each module.  The ACC2 can be upgraded with a WIFI kit to work with Centralus.

Then there are the ACC2 Decoder models that as the base model has 75 stations and can be expanded to 225 stations. Both ACC2 models come in plastic, metal, or stainless cabinets and have available pedestals.  ­There are 3 sensor inputs and up to 6 flow sensor inputs.

Contact Sprinkler Warehouse For Commercial Grade Irrigation Controllers

I hope this helps you narrow down your choices.  Purchase your Hunter controllers today on SprinklerWarehouse.com.

If you found this video helpful, check out our YouTube channel to learn more about sprinkler systems and irrigation controllers.